The Royal Goron Orchestra
by Scrapbastard
Summary: <html><head></head>Darunia has one weakness: Music. HE plans to organize the kingdom's first All Goron Orchestra and fill Death Mountain with music! Unfortunately, none of the Goron's know a thing about music... What will happen? Who knoooooows? Light, fun story. Going to be around six chapters. Falls somewhere in the middle of Child Link's quest, after Death Mountain.</html>


Another one broken. Darunia looked down with disappointment at the fragile, and now broken, porcelain instrument in his hands. He let out a guttural roar of frustration and threw the pieces across the room. It landed on a pile of other broken instruments just like it. The massive stone man looked down at the pile with disdain.

"Ocarinas... Tch." He muttered under his breath. He had been trying to learn to play the delicate instrument ever since a young Hylian visited to play him an enchanting song. That young boy had since proved himself to be a friend to the Gorons, and Darunia had named him a brother to his tribe.

He was a small boy, barely ten by the looks of it. Really not much in the way of muscles either. Kind of scrawny looking, to be honest, with a silly hat. But his courage was immeasurable. He had risked life and limb, traveling deep into the mountain and slaying a gigantic beast, all for the sake of the Gorons. For this, Darunia bestowed upon him the most important and precious treasure of all Goron kind, the Goron Ruby. Perhaps more importantly however, Darunia also extended his hand to the boy in kinship.

But now that kid was nowhere to be found! It had been weeks since Darunia last saw him, and it troubled him. Had he gone to seek the other Spiritual Stones? Had he gone on some adventure to a distant kingdom? Perhaps he had gone to meditate on what Goron kinship truly meant (Darunia believed this would be the best course of action for the boy). Darunia was a natural patriarch, and when one of his tribe went astray, he would not sit idly by. He would venture out of the caves, tribe in tow. He would sweep the mountain side to find a lost brother.

Link was a different case, however. The kid, despite his size, was a formidable warrior. He could take care of himself, wherever his travels had taken him. Darunia never fretted about the boy's safety.

He did worry for his own sanity, though! He wanted to hear that song again! He wanted that song to play constantly through the halls of the stone city he inhabited. Even now, that beat pounded through his skull like a rampaging Dodongo! IF he did not hear that melody soon, he too, would soon be on a rampage! He was the chief, he got what he wanted!

But the days passed, and not once had his brother Link returned to even discuss tribal matters, let alone play his music. If the boy and his ocarina would not return, Darunia decided, then he would have to make his own music, with his own ocarina! And so, he took up learning the small instrument. He was anxious to earn. Everything about an ocarina was foreign to the Gorons. It was small, delicate. The sound it made was smooth and enchanting. It could be soothing, or it could be energetic! It was smooth, but could chunky. A Goron was the opposite, Darunia reasoned, chunky, but smooth on the inside.

So far, he had little success learning his way around the Ocarina. The instrument was tiny and delicate like a Zora. It sat nicely in his massive palm, but he couldn't quite get his fingers to cover all the holes. They were much too large, or perhaps chunky, and the holes were much too small. That was something he might have worked around, however, if the damn things didn't shatter when he put any pressure on it!

Darunia huffed. This had been his eighth Ocarina, and it had shattered just like the rest. What a waste! He stared at his pile of discarded instruments furiously. Was it him? Was he the problem? Maybe he had no talent. True, he was a glorious dancer, possibly the best in the kingdom, but he wanted to make music, not just enjoy it. Would he never write soothing melodies? Would he be cursed to a life of silence?

His mind traveled to the day when young Link had played that mysterious song for him. What had Link been doing to get a handle on the Ocarina? How had he tamed such a reluctant instrument? If Link, who was small and frail, could play so masterfully, than surely there was hope for Darunia. He was over twice the size of the boy, and had the muscle to spare! He could easily lift five Links, and their Ocarinas, over his head, and not even break a sweat! "Why is this so hard, then? Am I cursed?"

"No! Unacceptable!" Darunia bellowed. "I am a Goron! I am the chief! I will not be denied by the likes of you!" He shouted at his pile of Ocarina shards. Naturally, they didn't respond.

"Insolent things!" He ran over and collapsed onto the pile, shattering the pieces with his massive form. Ocarina flew everywhere, as did angry punches. "I will show these awful things the strength of the Gorons!" He was on a rampage. All the frustration of his past failures culminated in this enraged romp. He had tried eight different ocarinas, and had so far barely played a single note! He cursed the being that made the first Ocarina. It was too fragile! The wicked creator of this wicked tool obviously wanted to vex the Goron tribe, if not Darunia himself!

Not two minutes later, when he had ground the porcelain to dust, he stood up. That felt good. He brushed the dust off of himself lazily and scratched his head. "How am I going to clean all this up?" he mused.

He turned to retrieve a shovel or broom or, perhaps a snack. As he turned, however, he realized that he was not alone. He was being peered at by big, round, dense looking eyes. Several of his fellow Gorons had come in to see what the ruckus was. He would normally haze them for entering the chief's room uninvited, but he was too embarrassed. Exactly how much had they seen?

"Big Brother..." One of the Gorons started, "you okay?" The confused Goron's eyes looked to Darunia, then to the pile of porcelain dust, then back to Darunia. Of course, the members of his tribe knew nothing of Darunia's musical troubles. He was their chief, they needed to believe that he was invincible! This was a clever ruse that helped to inspire his tribe. It was almost true, as well! He could do almost everything that a Goron needed to do, and do it well. But learning this insipid instrument? Not even he was capable of that. He would not show his Gorons that he had been defeated by a small porcelain music maker.

"Yeah, I'm great!" Darunia fibbed. He glanced over at the pile. Totally destroyed, beyond recognition. "That's... Uh... That's what's left of the last guy that challenged me, see? That's what all the noise was!" Darunia flexed impressively. The others did not look convinced. They stared at the pile.

"Oh… Well… Are you sure? It didn't look like a 'guy' from over here…" The Goron challenged. Such insolence! He knew this poor tribesman was only concerned, but the questioning? Unbearable! Intolerable! Inexcusable!

"Hey! Who's the chief here, huh? If I say it was a guy, then it was a guy!" Darunia would put this rock man in his place. The chief would not be questioned! And ideally, the Chief's secrets would not be discovered!

"Okay, but…"

"Alright, c'mere you!" Darunia leapt onto the Goron, putting him in a head lock. This was, of course, not intended to injure Darunia's unfortunately curious brother. This was how Gorons settled things, all in tribal and brotherly love. "See this? 'S why I'm the Chief, kid!"

He lifted his brother over his head, in front of the other tribesmen that had accompanied him. Then he stomped out of the chief's hall and into the city proper, parading the now curled up Goron through the city.

Stomping along the halls, he had gained quite a following. Every Goron in the place, young and old, wanted to see what Darunia would do to settle things. It was as if a giant party had broken out. There were cheers and moans, and the massive people of the city stomped about merrily. Darunia smiled. He was happy for the moment.

Eventually they left the caves, and found themselves out on the mountainside. IT was a warm, pleasant sunny morning on Death Mountain. IF Darunia had his way, he would call it Goron Mountain, or perhaps Muscle Mountain. Something that wouldn't scare people away so much. Still with his people in tow, and a Goron in hand, he took in a deep taste of the morning air. Delicious.

The unfortunate victim of his romp had all together stopped struggling now. He didn't want to get free, actually. This was kind of fun! He would receive some sort of beating, or punishment, but later, at dinner, he would get a pat on the back, an extra serving, and a seat next to the Chief.

The Gorons were a not an angry people. This was something many never understood. They wouldn't harm another intelligent being, be they covered in rocks, flesh, or scales. They would wrestle with their tribesmen, of course, but Darunia would never touch a hair on another beings head unless he knew they were okay with it. This was the fundamental misunderstanding of the Goron race. They were large, smelly, and imposing. They ate rocks, and lived in a volcano. They were reclusive, sometimes. Darunia could see why some people might fear his tribe. He just wished they'd come see the Gorons first hand. A Goron can make friends with anyone, probably.

Now at the edge of a sloping mountain side, he stared down to the base of the mountain. He gently lowered the Goron, still curled, on the edge of the slope. From all the way up here, Darunia could see the tiny Hylian settlement at the base of the mountain. Resting one leg on his brothers back, he peered off to the distance. He could see the Castle of Hyrule out there. It looked very small from all the way up here. He imagined picking it up with his thumb and index finger and moving it elsewhere. He'd have a better view that way. He looked down to his victim.

"What did we learn today, Brothers?"

"Don't fight the Chief!" the young Goron underfoot responded.

"Good. Seeya when ya get back up here." With that, Darunia gave a gentle push to the Goron, and sent him rolling down the hillside. The crowd lost it. Cheers for their Chief echoed through the air. Laughter and stomping shook the mountain side. It was a good morning.

Down in Kakariko village, a young woman, hassling over her pet Cuccoos, happened to look up at the Mountain side. There was a pale brown dot descending toward the village. She lifted the Cuccoo she was tending to up, cradling it in her arms, and walked slowly into her house. Twenty seconds later, a Goron rolled fast through the village, and out the gate to Hyrule field, yelling apologies as he went.

Darunia and the crowd returned to their caves afterward. That was enough excitement for the crowd today. They were all riled up and raring to go… do something. They just didn't know what exactly they wanted to do. It was these times, when no one knew exactly what to do next, that Darunia usually came up with his own plan of action for the tribe.

He gazed around the cave to the members of his tribe, now scattered through the city. They rolled into one another, butted heads, and wrestled about. Young children rolled each other off ledges in an attempt to be just like the chief. He smiled at that. It brought a sense of pride knowing he was such a role model. He knew all this energy would be gone in an hour or two if he didn't come up with some way to utilize it.

Then the idea struck him. The tribe was in the perfect state to listen to him. They'd agree to anything he came up with, even if it was a major change to Goron culture. He would have to phrase this right, and maybe finagle a bit, but he could do it. He could form a Goron Orchestra. After all, what good was music without someone to play with?

Darunia liked this idea. This way, he mused, he could learn the Ocarina without fear of judgment for failing, as everyone would be struggling along with their own instruments. The halls of the cavern could be filled with music all day and all night, including a certain harmonic piece that Darunia was particularly fond of. Most importantly, however, it would bring people to the Mountain. He could envision people coming from all across Hyrule to see the world famous Death Mountain Orchestra. They'd see the Gorons and say, 'Wow, those guys sure are artful, huh?' No more bad reputation for the Gorons! 

Of course, the Gorons were not a people without music. Traditional Goron music usually put the most emphasis on percussion. Mostly drums or loud stomping, accompanied by dancing in groups. But Link's song was the first time Darunia had ever heard something so... melodic and instrumental. It was nothing like the music of the Gorons.

But perhaps it could be. If he could lead the tribe in learning to play real, genuine instruments, they could form quite a band. They would be a genuine musical movement. Their melodies would rock the Kingdom to its core!

He liked that. Rock. A good name for music.

Before any of this, though, he would need an instrument. He would conduct the Orchestra, true, but what he really wanted to do was learn the Ocarina. You couldn't learn to play an instrument if you weren't in the group itself. So far, every Ocarina he had tried to play was totally useless, but he knew where to get a proper one. An ocarina fit for a Goron! He stomped through the halls, ignoring he greetings of his brothers as he passed. He rolled down a ramp, all the way through a hallway, and into the hall of a gigantic Goron.

This particular Goron, many times larger than even Darunia, was designated his own cave to rest in. His older Brother, called Biggoron, was so massive that he was not even able to fit in the mountain's tunnels. Darunia did not envy their size, however. He was sure he could wrestle both to the ground if he needed to! That is why he was the chief.

"Brother!" Darunia greeted the massive rock creature.

"Oh, hello Big Brother." The massive rock creature bellowed back. He spoke slowly and loudly, as if the voice of the mountain was projected through him. He was called Medigoron, most second tallest of all Gorons.

"Brother, I know you are a skilled craftsman. I have an important project for you." Darunia then looked around to ensure no other members of his tribe were listening. "And I want it to be discreet."


End file.
